Stubborn Heart
by Tarafina
Summary: Hers was a beauty overlooked. :Chloe/Oliver:


**Title**: Stubborn Heart  
**Rating**: K+  
**Genre**: Romance/Humor  
**Pairing**: Chloe/Oliver  
**Prompt**: #002 - Beauty  
**Summary**: Hers was a beauty overlooked.

_**Stubborn Heart**  
_1/1

Hers was a beauty overlooked.

Oliver Queen was a man of wealth; he'd been to the most exotic of places, met people in continents few could visit and was granted access to things that to many were just hopeless dreams. And all of these things compared nothing to when he really looked at _her_. He'd seen her more times than he could count really, but this time, this one moment, he set eyes on the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen in his life; wide and large and full of laughter and joy. Behind that smile was a face just as enigmatic, curtained by hair that he could tell by sight was soft. Down the slope of her neck, his eyes wandered, along her slim shoulders, the flat pale expanse of her chest to the perky handful of breasts being clung to by her green blouse. A curvy body with wide hips and a flat stomach, toned legs and small, high heeled feet. He let out a breath, blinking as if to make sure it wasn't a mirage. And then he was grinning, as if the truth had just slapped him and woken him up.

_Chloe. Watchtower. Sidekick. _All aliases for perfection encased in a snarky little blonde filled with enough spunk to take on the underworld of crime all on her lonesome and write a scathing byline overnight.

"Hey! Oliver," she said, calling him out of his daze, snapping her fingers in front of his face. She smiled, lifting a brow. "Did Wonderwoman just stop in when I wasn't looking?"

"Wonder-who?"

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Try to focus here, Hero. I need that sharp mind of yours in the game."

"I'm all yours," he replied with a lopsided smile.

She stared at him a moment, her brows furrowed before she shook her head. "Anyway..."

And then it started; he was on a mission, one of the greatest journeys he'd ever travel. Wooing Chloe Sullivan.

She wasn't easy; not by a long shot.

The "You busy tonight, Chlo? I know a nice restaurant," was usually met with an amused quirk of her brow, "Keep your money, Queen. I've got too much work to think about having you wining and dining me. I hear Dinah's free though." Brick wall.

So he tried the more indirect route of sending a dozen roses to her office, or stocking up on the best in coffee so she was well caffeinated during and outside of missions. These were all met with a common thanks, but he saw the flowers on Lois' desk the next day and she made sure to share the coffee with everyone. So then he figured maybe the straight forward route would work.

"I'd like to take you out on a real date. No work, no strings attached; nothing. I'd just... like to get to know you better."

She stared at him, blinked. "Why didn't you just say that?"

He smiled; who knew it'd be that easy?

"No," she said flatly, shaking her head.

"What?" He lifted a brow, opened his mouth to ask more and then closed it. He scratched his temple in frustrated confusion. "Not even going to give me a try?" He laughed slightly, still surprised.

"Nope," she said, smiling slightly before she patted his shoulder. "If I give you a try, I might actually consider a second date." She lifted a shoulder. "And that can't happen."

"Right..." He nodded. "Uh, why?"

"Various reasons, one being Lois, another being work. I can think up a few more and leave the list on your desk. For now, just trust me." She grinned at him gently. "You're a great guy, Oliver. Why don't you try asking Dinah out?"

He sighed. "I don't _want_ Dinah."

She stroked his cheek with her thumb and he felt his heart thud in his chest, his stomach doing acrobatics. "Those feelings you think you have, it's just a crush... It'll fade." She stepped back, grabbed her laptop bag and turned on her heel, leaving his apartment.

Determined, he didn't let her stop him. He didn't ask Dinah out and his feelings didn't fade. More than that, they grew. He didn't let her run away from him; didn't let her list all of her excuses and walk away from something he _knew _would be good. Instead of a bouquet of roses, delivered by some unknown person, he showed up at Isis with one lone tulip - her favorite - waited for her to arrive and then tucked it in her hair, right behind her ear. "Have a good day," he told her before leaving.

Instead of getting her the best in coffee, the most expensive he could find, he found which she liked, made it just the way she enjoyed it and hand delivered it each night before they left for missions or when he knew she was having a particularly hectic day. He stopped asking her out, stopped suggesting dinner or lunch, coffee or drinks. And when a month had passed, a tulip for each day to brighten her every morning, he found her standing on his balcony when he got home from patrolling.

"You're stubborn," she said quietly, staring up at the sky.

"Reminds me of someone," he replied, lifting a brow before he moved to stand next to her.

They stood in silence, the cool night air surrounding them, making her hair flutter around her. He was close enough that any movement made their arms brush. Instead of staring up at the sky, he gazed at her, at the way her cheeks were pink with the cold and her face was scrubbed of all make up. Just Chloe; all her. She'd been biting her lip; she did that sometimes when she was nervous. He could see it was worn and puffy from her teeth. His fingers twitched, wanting to reach out and soothe it.

"Why me?" she wondered, drawing him from his thoughts.

"Why not?" he returned easily.

She snorted, looking over at him in disbelief. "You dated Lois," she told him, shaking her head. "Beautiful, statuesque Lois. You've dated supermodels, heiresses, some of the most exotic women on the earth." She scoffed, her eyes widening. "What would make you want to date _me_?"

He stared at her a moment, head tipped to the side. "You make me laugh."

"What?" Her brows furrowed.

"You're full of life, you're snarky, you're too curious for your own good." He shrugged. "You stand taller than everybody else purely on inner strength. You live off coffee and bagels and you'd rather spend your time helping the world than helping yourself. You look at me and you see Oliver. I know you see the hero and the green leather and all that, but more than that, you see me. You're not afraid to tease me or act like yourself. You're just you." He licked his lips. "And you're beautiful; whether you see it or not. Your eyes and your smile and the way you hold yourself. You're absolutely, undeniably, beautiful." He reached out, cupped her cheek, felt her chin quiver and lightly stroked his fingers beneath her eye. "And you can keep thinking you're not, but I know..."

She blinked, her eyes wet with a sheen of tears. "You're..." She shook her head, laughing awkwardly.

"I'm not wrong."

She stared, as if trying to find some kind of lie in his eyes but couldn't.

He smiled lightly. "Just because you're overlooked doesn't mean there's not somebody here to find you."

"God, you are just... way too good at this," she breathed out shakily.

He grinned, hand falling to wrap around her neck, drawing her closer.

"Don't think just because you make a girl feel beautiful that she'll fall at your feet, Queen," she responded quickly, lifting a stubborn brow at her.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Sidekick," he replied before swooping down and capturing her mouth.

She sighed lightly, her tongue tangling with his, her arms wrapping around his neck, their bodies flush together.

She drew back, licking her lips. "And dating or not, you can't put limits on me. I'm still Watchtower; I need to be a part of things."

"No restrictions, got it." He leaned back in, captured her mouth and kissed her thoroughly, his hands burying in her hair. She moaned, her fingers digging into his neck. She tasted sweet and hot and full of life. Their noses bumped, her bangs brushing against his forehead.

She pulled back again, panting. "And I want a date night. One night in the whole week that's just... Us. No work; Queen Industries or otherwise."

He grinned. "Okay." He leaned forward and then stopped. "Anything else or can I can kiss you 'til your weak in the knees?"

"Half way there, Hero," she replied with a chuckle before dragging him down, their lips slanting together once more.

Success! His journey of wooing her had been finished and a new one began. Loving her. Beauty aside, there was a woman in his arms, meeting his lips passionately, that deserved everything he could give her and he was going to. For as long as her stubborn heart would allow him.


End file.
